First sponsorship deals for groundbreaking competitive league will
drive investment across entire Overwatch® esports ecosystem
IRVINE, Calif.–#HP–Tech leaders HP Inc. and Intel today joined forces with Blizzard
Entertainment in major Overwatch League™ sponsorship deals
that represent an extended investment in the groundbreaking professional
league. As part of the multiyear agreements, Intel will sponsor future
Overwatch® competitive events in addition to the Overwatch
League.
Players taking part in these events will be equipped with cutting-edge
gaming hardware from both HP and Intel. HP, and more specifically, its
OMEN by HP gaming PCs and displays will be used exclusively for
Overwatch League games, with PCs powered by Intel® Core™ i7 processors.
“We’re thrilled to be joining forces with HP and Intel to ensure that
the teams competing professionally in Overwatch are equipped with
top-end technology,” said Pete Vlastelica, president & CEO of Blizzard
Entertainment’s Major League Gaming division. “Multiyear collaborations
such as this illustrate the momentum behind the Overwatch League as well
as a long-term commitment by us and our partners in what we see as the
future of esports.”
“Working with Blizzard Entertainment as a global technology partner of
the Overwatch League is the perfect way to celebrate esports talent and
showcase our hardware within the competitive gaming arena,” said Alex
Craddock, global head of marketing, personal systems at HP Inc. “OMEN
hardware has been widely adopted by many of the world’s top esports
professionals, and we’re thrilled to help power the gameplay for the
Overwatch League.”
“For more than 12 years Intel has consistently supported the esports
community and we’re always looking for ways to help improve how they
play, watch, and compete. We’re proud to sponsor the Overwatch League
and equip all competition PCs with Intel® Core™ i7 processors to
contribute to a great experience for fans and competitors,” said John
Bonini, VP and general manager of the VR, gaming, and esports group,
Intel. “The Overwatch League will be a great showcase for esports, and
we’re excited to be a part of it with Blizzard.”
The Overwatch League represents a unique opportunity for sponsors, with
a city-based structure that supports engagement and a deeper connection
to local fan bases around the world. Esports have already captured the
attention of more than 280 million people[1] worldwide—a
community that includes some of the hardest-to-reach and most
sought-after demographics, including a share of millennials two to three
times higher than any of the “Big Four” US sports.[2] The
Overwatch League is based around Blizzard Entertainment’s blockbuster
hit Overwatch, which quickly became the company’s fastest-growing game
following its release last year and recently reached a new milestone of
35 million players.
The inaugural season of the Overwatch League begins with the first
regular season match on January 10, 2018, and runs until June, with
playoffs and finals scheduled for July. Preseason play will begin next
month, on December 6, with a series of exhibition matches featuring the
inaugural 12 teams. All Overwatch League preseason and regular-season
games for 2018 will take place at Blizzard
Arena Los Angeles, a state-of-the-art live-event venue in Burbank,
California, custom-renovated for Blizzard Entertainment esports events.
Information on Overwatch League ticket sales will be announced in the
coming weeks.
About the Overwatch League™
The Overwatch
League™ is the first major global professional esports league
with city-based teams across Asia, Europe, and North America. Overwatch®
was created by globally acclaimed publisher Blizzard Entertainment (a
division of Activision Blizzard—Nasdaq: ATVI), whose iconic franchises
have helped lay the foundations and push the boundaries of professional
esports over the last 15 years. The latest addition to Blizzard’s stable
of twenty-one #1 games,[3] Overwatch was built from the
ground up for online competition, with memorable characters and
fast-paced action designed for the most engaging gameplay and spectator
experiences. To learn more about the Overwatch League, visit www.overwatchleague.com.
About HP®
HP Inc. creates technology that makes life better
for everyone, everywhere. Through our portfolio of printers, PCs, mobile
devices, solutions, and services, we engineer experiences that amaze.
More information about HP Inc. is available at http://www.hp.com.
About Intel
Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) expands the boundaries of
technology to make the most amazing experiences possible. Information
about Intel can be found at newsroom.intel.com
and intel.com.
© 2017 Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. OVERWATCH, OVERWATCH LEAGUE,
BLIZZARD and BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT are trademarks of Blizzard
Entertainment, Inc. MAJOR LEAGUE GAMING is a trademark of Major League
Gaming Corp.
[1] Newzoo, 2017
[2] Esports audience demographic from Blizzard
Consumer Insights survey of 5,000 global esports viewers, 2016; US
professional sports demographics from Barclays ‘Future of Sports:
Aggregator of Platforms’, September 2016
[3] Sales and/or
downloads, based on internal company records and reports from key
distribution partners
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in
this press release that involves Blizzard Entertainment’s expectations,
plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future, including
statements about the dates and features of the Overwatch League and the
sponsorship arrangements with HP and Intel for Overwatch esports, are
forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of
risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause Blizzard
Entertainment’s actual future results to differ materially from those
expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release
include unanticipated product delays and other factors identified in the
risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard’s most recent annual report
on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The
forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information
available to Blizzard Entertainment and Activision Blizzard as of the
date of this release, and neither Blizzard Entertainment nor Activision
Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking
statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may
ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of
the future performance of Blizzard Entertainment or Activision Blizzard
and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which
are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially
from current expectations.
CGM Newswire is a subsidiary of CGMagazine. For more information, visit our page here.
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